


Suspect Behaviour

by KaRaEa



Series: A Conflict of Interest [8]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bickering, Identity Reveal, M/M, eventual robinpile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 01:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9575879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaRaEa/pseuds/KaRaEa
Summary: The vigilantes decide it's probably safer to tell Jason than let him figure it all out himself given the circumastances. But that doesn't mean Damian has to like it. Much less that he has to like the awkward dinner Dick drags them all to as an attempt at showing Jason they're not 'psychos' .





	

**Author's Note:**

> I am so, so sorry this took so long. I have no excuses.

“Have you told him?” Damian asked.

Dick stopped typing, confused. “Told who what?”

“Your lover. The detective.”

"My..." Dick stopped. He should have known Damian would figure it out, and that he'd get the wrong idea. "Damian, Detective Todd isn't my 'lover'."

Damian snorted.

"The man arrested me!" Dick protested.

"Meaning he got close enough to you to put you in handcuffs. Pray tell, Grayson, how did the detective achieve what no other ever has?" Damian asked. When no answer was forthcoming he continued. "I have known for some time. There is no reason to deny it. Though you really should have informed him that you were going away, as it was I was very nearly assaulted by a man believing me to be his lover."

Dick tried to ignore the uncomfortably distracting image of Jason and Damian... together, and instead noted the expression on Damian's face. It was almost as if he were deliberately trying to provoke a reaction.

"So? Have you told him?" Damian repeated.

"No. No, not yet," Dick replied.

"Good. Though you do realise having a relationship in your vigilante persona will be far more complicated than it has been in your civilian persona?" Damian asked. 

"Not everyone can be lucky enough to have both," Dick pointed out. "I met him as Nightwing. It's too late for anything else."

"Unless you tell him," Damian added.

"Do you want me to tell him?" Dick asked. It was uncharacteristic for Damian to press this kind of issue. He was more than aware of the reasons for secrecy, was at times more strict about it than even Bruce had been.

Damian shrugged. "Not particularly."

"So why are you pushing?" Dick asked.

A pause. Then: "He didn't remove your mask."

"And?" Dick looked back at the computer screen and the file he was compiling on a local gangster. Nothing big, some small time drug baron. Still, in Gotham it always paid to keep an eye on anyone with minions.

"And he is capable of catching you. I am concerned that a romantic entanglement will not end well given the current situation," Damian looked as if he was eating something disgusting. "If you plan to continue your relationship then I recommend divulging your identity to him before he discovers it for himself. Let him become invested and incriminated, let him feel a burden of trust. Having given some thought and observation to the matter, I believe this to be the best way to prevent him from revealing us."

"You think I'm compromising us, don't you?" Dick asked.

Damian said nothing.

 

***

 

Damian folded into the office chair Drake had abandoned to fetch coffee and sipped at the mug Drake had passed to him. "What is Todd's true opinion of vigilantes? Of Grayson and I?"

Drake took a moment to answer. "It's complicated. He sees the good you do, but he thinks you're going about it in the wrong way. He grew up in the slums, he knows good honest police work doesn't always fix the problem, but he also knew people like the ones you guys beat up. Hell, he was one of the kind of people you guys beat up, though you and your dad never got around to him. Too small time, I guess." Drake shook his head. "He sees it both ways, and I think he wants to believe in you guys. But it's not black and white, and shades of grey aren't something he deals with well."

"How long will it take him to discover Grayson's identity?" Damian asked.

"I don't know. If I'm being honest, probably not long. There are too many pieces for him now, especially if we're keeping up the whole," Here Drake waves his hand around and pulls a face. "Fake dating thing."

"As I thought," Damian nodded. "I have advised Grayson to tell him, to preempt Todd's reaction should he find out for himself."

Drake sighs. "Probably for the best. Poor Jason, though. He's not going to like keeping that secret, no matter how he feels about Dick."

Damian scowls. "I did not like giving that advise, Drake. Revealing ourselves is not something we take lightly, and I am loathe to do anything that strengthens Grayson and Todd's relationship. Tell me Todd will not betray the trust that is being placed in him."

"I don't think he will," Drake shrugs. "I can't tell you anything for sure, but so far Dick's done a pretty good job at bringing him around. I mean, Jason had him in handcuffs, in the police station, and he just... let him go. I think it'd take something big for Jason to rat Dick out."

It was not the best of assurances, but it would have to do. The alternative, Todd discovering their identities in a manner they could neither control nor contain, was bound to end badly.

Damian was not quite certain of when Drake's judgement had gained so much weight.

 

***

 

Dick fussed with his hair some more. It was probably telling of his general mental state over telling Jason and finding Tim and Damian that this was making him so nervous. He never got nervous over people. Though this was a little different.

"Will you cease your ridiculous ministrations? Your hair looks the same as it always does, and Todd seems to like it that way," Damian snapped. For saying it was his idea, he didn't seem too happy about telling Detective Todd the truth. Less so about Dick's chosen method.

Dick sighed and pulled his shirt straight. "You're right. I should just go." He made no move towards the door.

"Grayson..."

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!"

The police station was bright. The large windows at the front of the building gleamed even in the city smog and the officer at the front desk smiled prettily as Dick approached.

"I'd like to speak to Detective Todd," Dick said. He knew the presence of the Wayne heir at the station would likely end up in the papers, already had a cover story to feed to the press and Jason's bosses. If Jason didn't arrest him on the spot.

If the officer was confused by him asking for Jason in particular, she didn't show it. "Take a seat, I'll see if he's available."

After a moment he was gestured through to the bullpen and pointed towards Jason's desk.

Jason was slouched in his chair, throwing paper balls at a man leaning against his desk and laughing.

It took more courage to close the space between them than it ever had to face down a villain.

"Detective Todd," Dick said.

A small frown passed over Jason's face as he looked up.

"Could we speak in private?"

"Um," Jason visibly shook himself. "Yeah, sure. Let me just... I'll check if there's an interview room free."

"I think Kori just finished up in the Pit," The paper ball man said. Dick thought he recognised him. Detective Harper. Good cop, though he never came as close to Nightwing as Jason had even before they started whatever the hell it was they were doing.

Jason nodded, grabbed a notepad and headed off across the floor with Dick in tow.

Once in the interview room, door closed soundly behind them, Dick glanced nervously at the glass wall and placed his back to it.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "There's nobody in there. It's just you and me."

Dick nodded. 

"So, what can I do for you?" Jason asked when Dick remained silent.

"I..." Dick clenched and unclenched his hands. 

"Hey, it's okay. Just take your time," Jason said soothingly. "You're safe here."

"Can you just...Do I look familiar to you?" Dick asked. And waited.

 

***

 

Jason rubbed his mouth. This guy was weird as hell, but he was right. He did seem familiar to Jason, beyond being in the papers every other week. He'd thought that when he heard his voice. In fact, for a moment, before he'd looked up and seen the rich boy outfit and the killer cheekbones he'd thought it was... Wait.

Son of a bitch.

"Nightwing?" Jason asked. The thought of this pretty little rich boy being the vigilante Jason had been half trying to catch, half enjoying some pretty intense makeout sessions with for the past god knew how long was... Actually not that far fetched. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Those gadgets had to be expensive. "Huh."

Nightwing... Dick Grayson... Whoever the hell he was, seemed to calm down at Jason's answer. "You don't seem as angry as I imagined."

Jason blinked. "I'm fucking furious. But I'm thinking." And boy was he thinking. If Dick was Nightwing, and Damian Wayne was Dick's brother, just the right age and height and goddamit the little criminal was fucking Tim. He knew he recognised that brat whose bare ass had been all over his desk. Robin was Tim's goddamned boyfriend. And that meant Bruce Wayne, recently deceased around the time sightings of Batman went way down (though they never seemed to completely stop)... Oh yeah, it made sense. So much sense Jason was kind of kicking himself for not somehow putting the pieces together earlier. What's worse, he'd always assumed the vigilantes were normalish people. People who'd lived the violence on the streets. Not some rich boys playing at being Superheroes at the expense of people Jason grew up with. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't arrest you and throw away the key."

"Nothing's changed," Dick said. "I'm still the guy you let go, the guy who's helping this city. But now, if I cross the line..."

"I know where to find you," Jason finished.

"Exactly. And I know I'm still... But we can be..." Dick seemed to flounder, unsure of what he wanted to say. "We can grab coffee or something."

Jason stared.

Dick shifted in place.

"Why tell me?" Jason asked.

Dick blew out a heavy breath. "It was only so long before you figured it out anyway."

Jason nodded. "Damage control."

"Yeah."

"You do realise that if I don't turn you in, I may as well hand in my badge right now," Jason said.

"No," Dick met his eye. "You're one of the best on the force. No one needs to know that you know me. I won't ask you to do anything compromising."

Jason folded his arms. "I wouldn't do it if you did."

"Come to dinner," Dick blurted.

"What?"

"Dinner. Me and Damian, and Tim. Get to know me better. Let me prove I'm not just some psychopath terrorising the streets at night," Dick explained. "Damian already thinks we're together, and it's probably best to keep up the story for now, let him think you're invested so he doesn't feel like you're a threat to us. And I'd like to go to dinner with you. We might not be... that. But it'd be nice."

"Nothing's changed," Jason echoed. "You still go out beating people up at night with a fucking mask on your face, and so long as you do we can't be anything."

"I know."

Jason stared him down but Dick didn't flinch. "Fine."

 

***

 

“Okay. That looks… Okay, it looks like you bought it at the mall for $40 and you’ll look ridiculous next to whatever Damian wears,” Tim said into the mirror. “But hey, at least this one doesn’t have bullet holes in it.”

The suit that _did_ have bullet holes in it, courtesy of a trip out with Dick, lay shamed on the floor by the toilet.

Another once over and Tim called it quits and left the bathroom. He had no idea if the pants looked as tight on the thighs as they felt as the bathroom mirror above the sink was the only mirror he owned. He used to have a full length on his wardrobe, but a stray zip line from Damian several months ago had thoroughly destroyed it. Damian had seemed completely despairing of Tim’s intelligence when a startled and half asleep Tim had told him he’d have seven years of bad luck.

Tim wouldn’t have been so annoyed, but he’d seen Damian flinch away from more crows, magpies and ravens than guns.

“Dude, what’s the hold up? You’ve been in there forever,” Conner complained as he went back the living room. “I thought you said this was fake?”

“It still has to be convincing. I have to at least look like I care what my date thinks of me,” Tim replied.

Conner was great. They’d gone through college together, had even had a bit of a thing before they graduated and moved back to their respective home states, and it was great to see him whenever he had the funds to come all the way to Gotham. But what he had in loyalty and charm he lost in tact.

Conner shrugged. “Whatever. I still don’t get why you’re doing this. I mean, if you’ve got the hots for the guy’s brother, surely fake dating him is counterproductive.”

“Conner? Shut up,” Tim said. He got a couple of sodas from the fridge and tossed one over his shoulder to his friend.

Conner, as he always did with almost freakish accuracy for someone with glasses who refused to play any sport whatsoever in college, caught it without looking away from the TV. “I’m just saying, even if this dude you like dumps his boyfriend and you fake-dump his brother and ask him out, he’ll think you’re his little brother’s ex. That’s like, an ultimate no-go in the guy code. Seems a pretty stupid move to me.”

“Yeah, well. Your face is stupid,” Tim responded maturely.

Conner snorted. “My face is perfect and you know it.”

“Your partial vision would beg to differ.”

“Like I don’t see you squinting at the screen whenever we play Call of Duty.”

Even, measured knocking at the door interrupted their squabbling.

Conner made no attempt to hide his curiosity as Tim opened the door.

Both Damian and Conner froze staring at each other before Damian looked back at Tim and nodded. “You’ll do.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Thanks Damian, you look great too.”

Another nod. “Shall we leave?”

Tim patted his pockets. “Yeah, just let me grab my wallet.”

 

***

 

Damian waited until Drake was in his bedroom loudly searching for his wallet before he turned to Superboy. “What are you doing here?”

The alien hybrid looked as though he was having similar thoughts about Damian. “You can’t be serious. Dick is the guy Tim has the hots for? No way. I mean, Tim’s a cop.”

“Forensic analysist,” Damian corrected with a sniff.

“Dick wouldn’t be stupid enough to be friends with Tim, he’d find out about Nightwing in seconds,” Superboy continued without acknowledging the interjection.

“Four days, I believe it was. Father knew his parents, Grayson knew him as a child. We decided to trust him. That doesn’t explain your presence,” Damian replied.

Superboy raised his eyebrows. “Wow. I knew Tim’s parents were loaded when he was a kid, but wow…”

“Got it!” Drake’s muffled voice cried from the bedroom.

Superboy smiled smugly at avoiding answering Damian’s question. “Have a great time on your date.”

Damian glowered.

The door barely closed behind them before Damian turned on Drake. “You told another of our arrangement?”

Drake looked bewildered for a moment, then resigned. “I didn’t see the harm. Conner’s a friend.”

Damian squinted but held his tongue, knowing said ‘friend’ would be listening. “Do not tell anyone else.”

“Fine,” Drake snapped. “Let’s get this over with. Where are Dick and Jason?”

“Already at the restaurant most likely. You took longer than anticipated to prepare. We should hurry or Grayson will order without us,” Damian warned.

“I was ready before you got to the door! Leaving my wallet upstairs does not count into prep time,” Drake argued.

Damian didn’t bother to comment.

 

***

 

After their… Well, Tim didn’t know what to call it. Was it still a one night stand if you got interrupted before either of you came, and then decided to pretend to date? Whatever, after _that_ Tim had thought Damian might at least pretend to be a little nicer to him. Fake boyfriends deserve romancing, right?

Apparently Damian didn’t think so.

After he was done complaining that Tim had taken too long to get ready, he complained that his suit didn’t fit properly and demanded to know what had happened to his good one.

“I got shot at in it, remember?” Tim answered through gritted teeth, hoping they’d reach the restaurant soon.

“And you couldn’t have it mended?” Damian asked.

Tim ignored him.

 “So, your… Friend,” Damian started after a moment.

“What about him?”

“How long have you known him?”

Tim tried for a moment to figure out what Damian’s interest in Conner was before deciding he probably didn’t want to know. “Since college.”

“And he has never… Displayed signs of…” Damian picked over his words as Tim watched him.

“Displayed signs of what?” Tim asked when Damian failed to complete his sentence. He had an idea where this was going, but Conner didn’t even know Tim knew, Damian wasn’t going to be the one to out him.

Damian shifted uncomfortably. “Nevermind.”

They reached the restaurant only moments later, and Tim practically flew inside to look for a friendly face. Or any face that wasn’t Damian Wayne’s.

As Damian had predicted, Jason and Dick were sat down already, a couple of starters laid out in front of them. Dick was raised by Bruce Wayne in society’s eye, he knew the codes of social conduct better than some royalty, the only reason Tim could fathom for him ordering before they arrived was to piss Damian off.

Dick smiled impishly as they approached. “Sorry, couldn’t wait. Long day, you know?”

Damian sniffed and sat down next to his foster brother.

That left Tim the remaining seat next to Jason and opposite Damian.

Tim and Jason exchanged an uncomfortable smile as the others smile as Damian looked over the menu and Dick purposely annoyed him by recommending his own dish while still chewing it.

It was hard to remember as he sat watching the two men he had feelings for and the one he'd felt up all at the same table, why he was doing this. What had he been thinking?

The waiter arrived and took their orders, Damian ordering for Tim when he remained silent, having not looked at the menu.

"I, uh, bathroom," Tim said awkwardly and made a break for it.

The bathroom was empty, thank god, and he was able to glare at himself in the mirror without looking like a crazy person.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked himself. "You know all of these people, you can talk to them, fake it. Just get through the evening, pretend you like Damian, go home and sleep it off."

"I do apologise," Damian's voice came from the doorway.

Tim jumped and cursed. He always forgot that Damian and Dick could do that.

"I didn't realise it was so difficult to pretend to like me," Damian said stiffly.

"That's not- I didn't know you'd hear that. It's just me being over the top. You're not that bad," Tim spluttered. "I mean, a little... But! Not bad!"

Damian smiled sharply. "Calm down, Drake. I am only teasing you. I have no delusions about our situation."

"What are you doing in here?" Tim asked.

"In truth? Reassuring myself that you had not absconded," Damian admitted.

"Do your dates do that a lot?" Tim retorted.

Damian's smile grew and bared teeth. "My 'dates' are usually far too pleasurably occupied to contemplate leaving."

Tim snorted.

"Do you not believe me?" Damian said, stalking forward until he was treading along the edge of Tim's personal space.

"I think your age is showing." Tim stepped around him.

"And I think your cowardice is showing," Damian replied.

Tim glared at the wall as Damian pressed against his shoulder. "Cowardice? You're the one who wants to keep up a fake relationship so your brother doesn't find out you want to get in his pants."

Damian barely flinched. "And you're the one hiding in the bathroom so that you can keep pretending you're not just as heartbroken as I am to see them sat there together. You're the one who actually had a chance with Todd, Grayson as well if you so wished, but who was too scared to do anything about it."

"How would you know?" Tim shoved Damian away and made again for the door.

"Grayson is easy to seduce. Some affection, attention, loyalty. It takes very little to make him care for you, even less to fuck you," Damian said. "If he did not consider me family, I would have him myself by now." Damian moved to block the door. "As for Todd, you were already halfway there before he'd so much as laid eyes on Grayson, though neither of you recognised it. You forget that we were watching you for some time before we revealed ourselves. You could have had your pick, but you were too afraid."

"Because I'm so irresistible, right? Of course all I had to do was ask and either one of them would have been all over me. It's not like they're grown men, extremely confident ones who would have made a move if they'd actually been interested," Tim snapped. "At least I don't live in a delusion where I could've had them, unlike you. So damn sure he'd fuck you if only he didn't see you as a little brother. So why didn't you tell him? Why didn't make him stop seeing you that way? You encouraged his brotherly love and you know it."

Damian was tense, leaning into Tim's space and glaring, neatly combed hair and pristine dinner suit a contrast to the wild look in his eyes. Tim considered for a brief moment that he was spectacularly bad at making the right choices in life before he was pressing Damian back against the door, messing up his tidy hair and making his anger-thin lips flush red and plump. He pressed kisses over Damian's cheeks and sucked at his jaw.

He didn't even know why he was doing it. He shouldn't be doing it. Faking a relationship with a one night stand was complicated enough without... this.

Damian was kissing back though, clearly no less willing to complicate things than he was when he suggested this stupid act.

 

***

 

"So, they've been gone awhile, you don't think they're...?"

"Fucking in the bathroom? Definitely," Jason finished Dick's sentence with relish, topping up his wine.

Dick tried to pull up the grimace he felt was appropriate. Instead he felt... Confused. Somehow the thought of his little brother, of Damian, committing acts of public indecency with Tim only a few metres away wasn't half so unsettling as it should have been. In fact, it made memories of Dick's recent accidental voyerism flash in his mind's eye.

They made a beautiful couple.

Dick grabbed the wine bottle from Jason's hand and topped up his own glass before promptly downing it.

Jason laughed. "It's not like we haven't done worse."

"Not the point," Dick said. The point was that his... that Damian was having sex with Tim in the bathroom and Dick was struggling not to imagine it. Struggling not to want to imagine it.

"Tim's a good guy," Jason said, and he seemed almost wistful. "Damian's safe with him."

Dick nodded. "I know."

"I am a little worried about Tim though. Your little brother is an asshole," Jason continued.

"Damian wouldn't hurt Tim," Dick denied, offended on Damian's behalf. Damian had never brought someone to dinner with Dick before, never included anyone that way. Tim had to be special to Damian.

Jason snorted. "Kid has a vindictive streak a mile wide. Tim's a softie, he'll do whatever Damian wants to make him happy. And won't Damian just love that."

"Hey, you don't get to judge. You barely know Damian, and you know Tim less than you think," Dick snapped. "They're fine. Just eat your goddamned pasta and shut up." He threw himself back in his chair and crossed his arms. Jason was hardly the poster boy for healthy relationships, how dare he say something like that about Dick's... About Damian.

Jason rolled his eyes but didn't retaliate. Then he looked up. "Wait. You said I don't know Tim. Like you do. Damian met Tim through you, didn't he? You dragged Tim into your fucking mess? What the hell were you thinking?! He's a cop! He could lose everything!"

"He's a grown man who can make his own choices," Dick replied, with a calm he certainly didn't feel. His upbringing had allowed for a lot of things, but making a scene in public wasn't one of them. Not when it could compromise the other part of his upbringing, anyway. He couldn't risk his temper giving them away. On the other hand: "Besides, it's not like you ever gave a damn before. You never even noticed."

"You..." Jason stopped and lowered his voice. "Maybe I never noticed because I was too busy chasing your vigilante ass all over the city."

They had a brief glaring match before Dick surrendered, blinking rapidly and sighing. This was pointless.

"My ass is pretty distracting," Dick said. He tried nudging Jason's foot under the table but Jason pulled away. "Damian won't hurt Tim," He promised, and hoped it was true.

 

***

 

"That fucking hurts, you asshole," Tim hissed as Damian bit a little too hard at his neck.

Damian responded by biting harder, but his hand pressed against Tim's crotch as he did so Tim didn't feel like complaining.

"They're going to wonder where we are," Tim said, making no move to step away.

"I am sure they can figure it out. It will only help them buy into our relationship," Damian replied,

Tim shrugged and went back to the kissing. He liked Damian better when he was focused on sucking Tim's tongue instead of scheming or deriding.

Damian's tie was hugely inconvenient, tying Damian's shirt closed and keeping his collar firmly around his neck. He pulled back to loosen it.

"This is a public restroom." Damian pulls his hands away. "As fun as this is, and as much as I personally am not adverse to it, public nudity is still considered a criminal offence."

Tim frowned.

"There are plenty of things we can do without stripping," Damian placated him.

Or.

Tim pulled Damian away from the door and into one of the cubicles. He'd barely locked the cubicle door before Damian was unbuckling Tim's belt.

"If Todd interrupts us this time I will not stop," Damian warned him before thrusting his hand into Tim's underwear.

Tim groaned and went back to his attempts at Damian's tie. "No argument here."

 

***

 

"Maybe we should check on them," Dick suggested.

Jason raised his eyebrows.

"What? We're in a restaurant, if someone catches them we could be kicked out," Dick said defensively. He stabbed his fork into his food and looked towards the bathroom door.

Jason just shook his head and checked his phone.

"You're an awful date," Dick told him.

"Really? Because I kinda thought you hadn't noticed either way, what with you being fixated on your brother's bathroom activities half the time we've been here," Jason said.

"I have not been fixated!" Dick protested. "I'm just... Concerned. Besides, what else is there to talk about? You've not exactly offered alternative conversation."

"Alternative conversation?" Jason snorted. "You're such a fucking weirdo. You're rich as hell and spend your time... And then most of the time you act and talk like a normal guy. Do you have a personality disorder or something? I bet the profilers at the station would love to get their hands on you."

Dick grit his teeth and scraped whatever remnants of food he could from his plate to give his hand something to do other than enthusiastically make contact with Jason's face. He was contemplating ordering another bottle of wine when Tim and Damian finally reappeared, ruffled and flushed and beautiful. And dammit, Dick was picturing it again. He needed help. 

"Have fun?" Jason asked with a grin.

Damian smiled back coolly while Tim flushed still further, and it was truly amazing how perfect they looked together. 

"Great," Jason said. "Can we order food now?"


End file.
